A Father's Love: Extra Edition
by browncoat31986
Summary: A collection of drabbles, fluff, and deleted scenes that didn't make it into the main story. Partially inspired by MomoxToshiro's Moments. Seriously, check it out. There's a reason she's the (unnoficial) Fairy Godmother of SAO FanFics!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Chapter 1, finally! I've been having technical issues with spotty Internet and an old, cranky iPad, so I appreciate you all sticking with me through the rough spots. Enjoy!**

 _Sachi_

I was panting heavily as my therapist, Kimiko Hamayura, helped me back into my wheelchair. The last hour had consisted of an exercise regimen designed to keep my leg muscles from atrophying. Although I would probable never walk unassisted again, I was starting to gain some feeling back in my legs.

"That was good, Scott!" Kimiko said as I took a long drink from a water bottle. "You're upper body is still strong, so that is definitely helping."

I grinned at her as I replaced the cap. "Well, you know what they say. If the women don't find you attractive, they should at least find you handy, right?"

She colored slightly at my comment even as she consulted her tablet, scheduling my next therapy appointment. That was Kimiko. She was a gentle, caring, and compassionate woman, but she was also all business. In spite of that, we had grown close over the last few months, to the point that I had begun asking her out. She had declined. Politely, of course, but she had declined. She never gave me a reason though, and I was determined to change that.

"Look, Kimiko," I said, sitting up a bit straighter in my wheelchair and hoping for all the world I didn't sound like an idiot, "I've been asking you out for the last two months now, and you still haven't given me a reason for turning me down. This isn't high school. We don't have to play games or..."

She cut me off with a wave of her hand. "It isn't that, Scott," she said gently. "And it's not you either," she added quickly. "You really are charming, and I am flattered that you've asked me, it's just... I..." she faltered after a moment.

I leaned forward slightly. This was more than she had given me up to now. "What is it then?" I pressed. "Some kind of therapist-patient confidentiality I'm not aware of?"

"No," she answered, smiling. Oh, how I loved that smile. "It's Sachi."

"Sachi?" I asked, intrigued.

"My daughter," she said, looking me in the eyes, waiting to see my reaction. I simply waited, quietly.

"You're not the first man to ask me out, Scott," she signed, her eyes dropping back to her tablet, "but there's a reason I'm still single. And Sachi's that reason. Men are always falling all over themselves to ask me out. After all, I'm young, single, and successful." She smiled sadly, "But as soon they find out that I have a 10 year old daughter, they run for the hills. I just don't know that she can take that kind of rejection again."

I nodded thoughtfully. It made sense now, why she had been dodging my advances without flat-out rejecting me.

"I'd love to meet her." I said quietly, feeling a new sense of respect for her. Not only was she working full-time, dealing with the physical and emotional wounds of Veterans like me, but she was also raising a daughter on her own. Seriously, this woman had iron in her soul.

"That's very nice of you," she began, not looking up from her tablet, "but I... Wait, what?" Her eyes snapped up to lock onto mine.

"I'd love to meet her," I repeated, smiling.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she found her voice again. "You're serious?" She asked, disbelief written across her face.

"Of course!" I answered. "Besides, if she's anything like you, I'm sure she's a charming girl. Do you have a picture of her?"

"Um... Yes," she stammered, fishing her phone out of her pocket and handing it to me. There was a photo of a young girl with shoulder-length black hair, wearing a plain, tan skirt and a flowing green top with a white fringe around the hem and collar.

" _Kanojo wha utsukushi (_ she's beautiful" I said, handing the phone back. "No wonder you named her Sachi."

"Thank you, Scott", she whispered, tears standing in her eyes. "That-that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said!"

"Well you'll have to get used to it if you're going to keep hanging around me!" I grinned. "So, dinner? A movie?"

She laughed at that. It was an honest-to-goodness genuine laugh, that sounded like it hadn't been used in too long.

"I-I'd be happy to accept, Scott", she said, smiling and wiping her eyes. "I Just need to ask Sachi."

"Of course. Take your time." I indicated my medical files, "You know where to find me!"

She laughed again. I could really get used to hearing that more often! Then, after a moment's hesitation, she scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to me.

"Here, this is my personal cell." I took the offered paper. "J-just in case you need to get ahold of me outside of work." she finished, a coy smile playing at the edge of her mouth.

"I will do that," I said, smiling, "and I look forward to meeting your daughter!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Dinner and a Show: Part 1  
_

It had been a few days since Kimiko and I had first discussed meeting Sachi. On my next appointment, she let me know that Sachi had given her permission to invite me to her voice recital that Friday. I said I would be there, as long as I got to treat them both to dinner afterward. Kimiko laughed and readily agreed to my conditions, promising to pick me up at 6:30 sharp, but I surprised her by offering to pick her and Sachi up instead.

"Scott, you don't know where we live," she protested, "and you don't even drive!"

"Well, the first half of that dilemma is easily remedied," I countered, smiling. "And I may not able to drive, but I am not without resources!"

It took a few more minutes of convincing, but Kimiko eventually gave me her address, still shaking her head at my vague reference to "resources". So, on Friday evening, after several phone calls and a good chunk of my VA pension check spent, I rolled up to the address she had given me in a rented limousine, dressed in my Class-A uniform with a bouquet of flowers under my arm.

I couldn't help but stare for a moment as the chauffeur assisted mother and daughter into the limo. Kimiko was wearing a conservative but well-fitted skirt suit, while Sachi was dressed in a light purple one-piece dress with flowing, kimono-style sleeves, looking even more beautiful in person than she had in the photo Kimiko had shown me.

As soon as we were all seated comfortably, I handed Sachi the bouquet with a slight bow, trying not to wince as the pain lanced up my back. "You must be Sachi," I said, smiling. "I hear you're the star of tonight's show!"

The girl simply sat there, staring owl-eyed at me. For a moment, I was afraid I had broken her, until Kimiko nudged her arm and motioned toward me with her head.

"T-thank you, Cooper-San," she said finally, her soft voice barely above a whisper, taking the flowers and laying them gently in her lap.

"Your mother has told me a lot about you," I continued after a moment. "I'm very glad to finally meet you in person."

She smiled faintly, still not quite making eye contact, and I noticed a flush beginning to rise in her face. She didn't say anything the rest of the short drive to her school, though Kimiko and I continued making small talk until we pulled up to the school building. After holding the door for the girls again, the chauffeur brought my wheelchair around and assisted me into it. Kimiko insisted on helping, claiming that it was still her responsibility as my therapist.

We went our separate ways in the main lobby, Sachi heading off backstage, leaving the flowers with Kimiko as we made our way to the school's auditorium.

"Are you trying to impress me?" Kimiko asked coyly, once we were settled in our seats.

"Is it working?" I smiled back.

She flushed, dropping her eyes to the flowers she was holding, fiddling with them absently as she pondered my question.

"You're not like other men," she said after a moment of silence. "You genuinely care about us, both of us. That's-that's something few other people have done.

"Sachi means the world to me", she said, looking at me with tears glistening in her eyes. "I know it's hard to tell, because she's so shy, but you just made my little girl's day. Thank you, Scott."

I smiled in return. "Don't thank me yet, the night is still young, and I still owe you two dinner!"

"Well, thank you anyway", she said, slipping her hand into mine, as the lights dimmed and the curtain rose. "And I look forward to whatever other surprises you have in store for us tonight."

A single spotlight illuminated the stage as the MC thanked everyone for attending and proceeded to introduce Sachi and her song, _Tegami: Greetings to a 15 Year Old,_ a semi-traditional number, originally written and performed by Angela Aki.

After a moment, Sachi stepped into the light. The light purple dress she wore seemed to glow with a light of its own as the spotlight beam fell on her. For a moment, I wasn't entirely sure that I was seeing a human being at all. Perhaps this shy girl in a light purple dress was actually an angel of some sort.

I could practically feel Kimiko bursting with maternal pride when fingers tighten around mine as her daughter began to sing. Her clear, sweet voice carried throughout the auditorium, telling the story of a woman writing a letter to her 15-year-old self, urging her to believe in herself and make the most of every moment, especially when sorrow and hard times come. Sachi's performance seemed to be speaking directly to me that night: never give up on yourself or your dreams, and make the most of your life, come what may.


	3. Chapter 3

**N/A: Good grief there are a lot proofreading errors in this fic! Not to worry, my wife is bringing herself onboard as a co-author and proofreader. She actually used to be a proofreader for an actual publishing company,** **so expect the quality to start going up!**

 _Dinner and a Show: Part 2_

"Sachi! I am so proud of you! You did such a beautiful job!" Kimiko was practically beside herself, showering her daughter with praise after her recital. I hardly said a word until we were all back in the limousine, the sheer weight of emotion I was feeling made it nearly impossible to speak. As a person struggling with depression and regret myself, her performance had spoken directly to me.

"Oh, Baby! You were wonderful!" Kimiko continued gushing, practically fangirling over her daughter, even as Sachi mumbled something about her antics causing a scene. But Kimiko was not to be deterred. Her maternal pride had reached the limit of her ability to hold it in. She couldn't stop praising her daughter if she had wanted to.

"Thank you so much, Scott!" Kimiko said, seizing my hands after we were all seated in the limo again.

"No, thank you." I replied, trying not to choke on the lump in my throat. "Thank you for inviting me tonight." then, turning to Sachi, I said, "Thank you, Sachi. Your words tonight gave me a hope that, honestly, I haven't felt in a long time. You have a gift, no doubt about that. Thank you for sharing it with us tonight."

I fully expected her to blush and stare at her shoes, like a typical introvert, but she surprised me with a gentle smile as she looked me directly in the eye. "I'm very glad I was able to help, Cooper-San!" she said, her voice as clear as when she had sung on stage, "My voice is the one thing I always knew I was meant to share with the world. Thank you for appreciating my gift."

Kimiko and I simply sat there and stared at her. This was not the same shy girl I had met just an hour earlier, and judging from Kimiko's expression, this was a side of her daughter that she rarely, if ever, saw.

A moment later, though, I saw a flush creep across her face as she leaned over and whispered something in her mother's ear. Kimiko's eyes widened and I felt my own face flush along with her's as we quickly released each other's hands.

"So where are we going for dinner?" Kimiko queried, after we had recovered from our embarrassment.

"Well, it was short notice, so I couldn't anything too fancy, but I was able to reserve a table at Outback Steakhouse. I hope that's agreeable to our star performer!" I said, winking at Sachi. "And I've got three vouchers for tickets at the movie theatre, too."

"T-that's fine," Sachi stammered, flushing again at the sudden attention, while her mother fixed me with a look that said 'we'll talk about how much you're spending on us later'. That was a conversation I think I'd rather postpone for as long as possible.

Shortly after we had arrived and ordered, Kimiko excused herself to use the restroom, so I decided to try engaging Sachi in conversation again, seeing as my earlier compliment about her singing seemed to have broken the ice.

"So how is school treating you", I inquired. I figured I'd start with easy subject.

"Um... It's fine," she answered, shrugging.

"Do you have a favorite subject?" I pressed.

She nodded. "Literature and music." She said proudly.

"I'm not surprised!" I chuckled, "Your performance tonight more than convinced me of that!"

She smiled again, and then her face turned thoughtful. "I'm not so good with math and science, though. I study really hard, but the best I seem to be able to do is a C. I even joined a robotics club at school, but I'm not really sure that it's helping."

"That's good!" I encouraged her. "Doing your best is something you should never be ashamed of. And joining a robotics club? That shows you've got guts if you're willing to pursue something that advanced for the sake of your grades!" She flushed again slightly under my praise, so I continued, "If you like, I help tutor you in math and science, as long as your mom's okay with it."

She seemed to consider that for a moment. But when she answered, it was not what I though she would say.

"Cooper-San?" she asked, turning to face me. "Are you going to marry my mom?"

I froze. How do you answer something like that? And on a "first date" at that!

"Uh... Would you like that?" I asked slowly.

She glanced away, suddenly shy again. "I-I don't know. I've never had a dad before, but I guess..."

Before she could finish her thought, though, we were interrupted by the simultaneous arrival of Kimiko and our supper. This was definitely a conversation I wanted to continue in the future, though. Hopefully soon.


End file.
